A Very Cahill Reunion
by Sri Starlz
Summary: The title says it all. Another way overused theme, but I couldn't resist. I know it only says Family and Humor, but there will be Romance if you want it! And I also know it only says Amy and Dan for characters, but I did that because this is the whole Cahill family, not just any two people. Rated T for mild swear words and kissing in the later chappies.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi! It's me again, Sri. I'm gonna try writing a real fanfic now, with many chappies. And this one is in first person! Pls. read!**

**Disclaimer: Sri does not own 39 clues or its characters. **

Chapter 1—Amy's POV

I sat bolt upright in my bed. I had just had the most horrifying dream about—you guessed it—the Cahills. In this one, they were all gathered at our mansion for some reunion, and as usual, it was turning out a disaster. The worst part was when Madison Holt 'accidentally' dropped a spider on my foot… I have an irrational fear of spiders.

Scratch the second last sentence. The worst part was when I remembered that it was all actually going to happen today.

Uncle Fiske had been very mysterious for the past few days. Dan, Nellie and I had cornered him yesterday and asked him what all the phone calls and mutterings were about. He had spilled the beans then: all the Cahills from the Gauntlet, and Phoenix Wizard, would show up at our house today.

I jumped out of bed immediately. It was 8 a.m. and they were expected at 11. Only 3 hours. _Only_3 hours. Only _3 hours_.I showered quickly, ran a hairbrush through my hair, dressed in a light green sequined shirt and jeans, and went downstairs. As soon as I entered the dining room, a huge object crashed into me and I fell toward the floor.

**First chap. Done! Sorry it's so short, but I'm putting the next one up right away, so no waiting. **

**You know what to do, it's called… REVIEW! (Wow, that rhymes.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I have nothing at all to do but update since I'm on vacation! This is a longer chapter. Mild swearing too, so don't read unless you can handle it. **

**Disclaimer: I, Sri, hereby state that I do not own the 39 clues or anything affiliated with it. **

Chapter 2—Dan's POV

Natalie Kabra was in front of me. Wait, NATALIE KABRA was in front of me? Then I saw her silver dart gun pointed menacingly at me. I tried to turn and run, but my legs literally turned into green jelly. I collapsed onto the floor, catching the hem of Natalie's shirt for support, dragging her down on top of me. Her face was inches from mine and drawing closer by the second…

Then I woke up. I exhaled, and then remembered who I was actually going to see today.

~~15 minutes later~~

I poured the last of the sugar into my mouth and swallowed.

"OH MY NINJAS! THE CAHILLS ARE COMING! THE STARLINGS ARE BLOWING UP THE HOUSE! THE COBRAS ARE SHOOTING ME! HAMMER IS POUNDING THEM! AHHHHHH!"

Nellie ran into the kitchen. It was only 8:35; nobody except us was up yet. She took one look at the sugar bowl lolling emptily on the ground.

"DANIEL ARTHUR CAHILL! Are you on a sugar high? Oh, why am I even asking that question?!" she muttered the last sentence to herself as she picked up the sugar bowl.

Five minutes later, Amy walked in. I immediately tackled her and sent her crashing down, then yelled into her ear, "CAHILL ALERT! THE NINJAS ARE COMING AT THE COMMAND OF THEIR LORD TO DEFEND US FROM THE CAHILLS!"

She pushed me off easily and stood up, brushing off her jeans. "DAN! Why the hell are you—oh my lord, not again," she finished, spotting the empty sugar bowl.

"Yep," Nellie said. They shared a look. Usually I could read both of them well enough to know what their looks meant, but now I was too hyper to pay attention. Until they walked up to me. Each of them took one of my arms, and Nellie gave me something which made me black out.

~~Two hours later~~

"He's up, Nellie," Amy called when she saw my eyes opening. "And drained of all the sugar, hopefully."

I sat up. "Aren't the Cahills supposed to be coming soon? How long was I out?"

"Yes, and two hours. Now get your breakfast, dweeb. No more sugar today," she added, seeing me glance at the Frosty Flakes on the table. "You get plain cornflakes."

Sigh. She had changed now, not scared of everyone and everything like she used to be. Result of all the Madrigal training we had gone through. So had I, though. I was stronger, and if Natalie Kabra were to point a gun at me, I would kick it out of her hand with my awesome ninja skills, not turn to jelly.

After I had finished eating, Uncle Fiske came down dressed in a suit as usual, but carrying a suitcase. "Amy and Dan, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Uncle Fiske," Amy said. We went to his study and sat down.

"I have just received an emergency call that requires me to go to Canada urgently. So, unfortunately, I cannot be here while you entertain the Cahills. Just know this; the Cahills are once more in grave danger. That is why they are all to be united here, so nobody is kidnapped. Take care, children."

With that, he left through the back door of the mansion. Just then, the front doorbell rang. Amy and I looked at each other with apprehension in our eyes.

**Second chap. done! The Cahills have still not arrived, as you can see, but Fiske has left with a warning. Also, like I mentioned in chap. 1, Alistair is not gonna be there, but Phoenix is. All kids (except for Nellie); any guesses on what's gonna happen?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi everyone! Since you've all been so amazingly awesomely fantastically superb about reviewing, I'm putting my next chapter up! And yes, this is from Ian's POV and has AMIAN! I'm kinda sleepy so excuse my –ly and grammar issues. Oh, and if I haven't mentioned this yet, like most of my stories will be, this is set after Book #10 but before Vespers Rising.**

**And Stoked009, in response to your review, no you were not being rude, I was aware of that myself, but thanx for telling me what you think. I'll try.**

**Disclaimer: Of course all my amazingly awesomely fantastically superb (Yep, I copy-pasted that from the first line ****) readers know that I don't own the 39 clues… right?**

Chapter 3—Ian's POV

I was _not _having a good time. Why, you ask?

Well, for starters, there was the news. At such an inappropriate time. Only Fiske Cahill would not consider that the world has different time zones, and that people need their sleep at 5 am. So I was woken, very rudely I might add, by my iPhone's ringtone blaring in my ear. But I was not prepared for the message: there was a Cahill reunion in Boston tomorrow—sorry, today—and there was nothing I could do about it. Only Fiske Cahill would say, "There's nothing you can do about it" to a Kabra. There's always _something_ for a Kabra, a skilled Lucian to do. But in this case… I suppose he's right.

Then there was my irritatingly annoying fashion queen of a sister, Natalie. She resented being woken up at 5 am (I have to agree with her on that). But unlike her, _I _didn't take out all my anger on my sibling. She met me downstairs with two large trunks and her handbag—much too less for her, wonder what's going on—at 6 am. I didn't receive less than two sarcastic, cutting remarks per minute as we drove to our private airfield.

At least we got our private jet. I shudder to think of the state I'd be in if we had been forced to take a _public_ plane. We may be disowned and worth less than six million dollars now, but we are still Kabras and will always be.

So there I was at eleven o'clock (yes, eleven, it took us three bloody hours extra because our pilot was still sleepy and hadn't fueled the tank too well so we had to stop somewhere in Ireland to refuel), standing outside on the doorstep of Amy and Daniel's mansion. We had just landed in their private airstrip. My hand was on the doorbell, but I just couldn't push it.

I was thinking of Amy. It had only been a year since the clue hunt: a year since the tension and danger and the betrayals and the heartbreak. Was she over me? I thought so; we hadn't had any contact since the gauntlet. But I was not over her, and I never would be, although she wouldn't believe me. I know, I was being all mushy and saying—what is that word Americans use? Oh yes, cliché—cliché things, but I couldn't help myself.

Natalie put her hand over mine impatiently and pushed the doorbell. I was jerked out of my trance when the door was opened by… the one and only, irritatingly annoying just like my sister, Daniel Cahill.

I sighed. I had rather hoped the person behind the door would be his sister Amy, instead of _him. _"Hello, Daniel," I greeted politely.

The slightly surprised expression on his face changed to one of disgust and frustration. "Hello, _Cobras_. And no, I will _not_ stop calling you that until you call me DAN! D, to the A, to the N!" he yelled the last part.

Natalie was too tired to give a good comeback. "Fine, Dan, can we please come in?" she asked, sounding like a child. He looked surprised, but he took both her trunks and stepped aside to let her go in.

No such luck for me. When I tried to follow her, Dan blocked my path again. "Look here, Kabra. Nobody else is here yet. What you do is this: you follow Amy to your room, unpack, get settled, blah blah blah, and then you can wander about the mansion. The only places forbidden to you are Fiske's study and room, Amy's room, my room and Nellie's room. Otherwise you can go wherever you want. Ta-ta!" he said, doing a bad imitation of my former mother Isabel as he followed Natalie.

I stepped in and looked around, wondering where in the mansion I would find Amy. Searching wasn't necessary, though, because she came up behind me. "Hi, Ian," she said.

I spun around, almost letting my face discard its normal smug expression. I said almost; I'm still a Kabra. But when did her eyes get so green? And when did her hair get so auburn and soft-looking? And why the hell isn't she stuttering? "Hello, love," I replied, staring into Amy's jade green eyes.

That was a mistake. First I found that I couldn't take my eyes off of hers. I was losing myself in them… then she shook her head and glared at me. "Don't call me love! Now follow me if you wanna find your room," she ordered.

I smirked. "Sure, love. Lead the way." She sighed exasperatedly and started walking.

When we got there, she pushed open the door. "This is your room. Good enough for a Kabra, I hope. You're going to be sharing the hallway with Hamilton and Ned when they get here—these are their rooms." She gestured to the two farther down from mine. "This is the boys' wing, the floor below has Dan's, Jonah's, Phoenix's and Ted's rooms. And that's about it, I guess. Just do what Dan told you to." With that, she started walking away.

"Amy…" I called after her. She turned, her brow creasing. "What, Ian?"

It was like somebody had suddenly slipped a manipulator in my body. I had no control over what I was doing. I only knew it was something I had wanted to do for a long, long time as I walked up to her, took her face into my hands, and kissed her lips.

Her body stiffened and then relaxed as her eyes closed. With a start, I realized she wasn't resisting me, even though she wasn't kissing me back.

We stayed like that for a few seconds before she finally pulled away. When she opened her eyes, they weren't the confident jade ones I had seen at the doorway. They were timid, like the ones I had seen during the clue hunt. "I-Ian?" And her stutter had made a reappearance as well.

"See you around, love. I'm sure you have other people to attend to," I said lightly as I walked into my room and closed the door. I listened for quite a few seconds before I heard her walk slowly away.

**And that's it. Tell me, did you like it? I'm not so sleepy anymore—that's what writing Amian does to me ****). And I'm sure y'all know what you need to do to show your appreciation… press that li'l button down there with the yellow speech bubble and the word "Review". **

**I'm not updating until I get at least four reviews from four different people for **_**this chapter**_**, so you can jolly well wait until that happens. (Wow, now I sound like an old, experienced fanfic writer… weird.)**

**Cheers,**

**Sri**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi everyone, just saying, I got waaaaaay more than the four reviews I asked for; actually around nine for that one chapter! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm so happy that I'm putting all my other work aside to update for you. And it's only been one day? Aren't I awesome? XD**

**Enough about me, here's your next chapter, from Sinead's POV. I'm easing up on the Amian, adding more Hamead. That okay with you? Tell me in your reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Sri/39clues3546 does not own the 39 clues or anything she mentions in here. (I don't have the time for fun disclaimers now; I'll invent some later, 'kay?)**

Chapter 4—Sinead's POV

"All done," I smiled to myself. My brothers were at the other end of the lab, working on something. They're cured now from the effects of the explosion at the Franklin Institute; Ned doesn't get his headaches anymore and Ted can see clearly. "Ned! Ted! Check this one out; my latest—"

I was interrupted by the phone ringing. Ned and Ted raced for it and picked it up together. "Hello, these are…"

"Ted and Ned Starling speaking. What may we…"

"Do for you, sir?" There they went, completing each other's sentences as usual. Poor guy-at-the-other-end; if he isn't someone that's used to it, it will totally freak him out.

Ned reached over and pressed the speaker button so I could hear. Fiske Cahill's voice said, "Hello, Starlings. You are invited to a Cahill reunion tomorrow, at Amy and Dan's mansion near Boston. And yes, you have to attend. Bring enough clothes for at least a week, okay?"

"Sure, Uncle Fiske," I said. 'Uncle Fiske' is what we all, except the Kabras, called him, even though he was our uncle about 490 times removed. "We'll be there. Is everyone else coming?"

"If by everyone, you mean the Kabras, Holts, Wizards and Amy and Dan, then yes," he said. "Everyone except Alistair Oh. He's sick in bed; I'm sure you know. Will I be seeing you tomorrow then?"

"Of course, we'll be there…"

"Around eleven o'clock. See…"

"You then. Bye for…"

"Now," I finished, and then hung up. What? I'm a triplet too, so I have perfect right to finish their sentences.

~~~The next day, 11:05 am~~~

I shot out of the cab eagerly, knocking Ted over. I was so excited to see Amy! We'd become good friends after the gauntlet, even though we hardly ever saw each other. I'd invented a small phone necklace which she could remember me by, with my number already in the contacts, and I had a matching one, so we talked often. Ned and Ted were also good friends with Dan, and they had their own communication device too.

Ted scrambled up, dusted himself off, and caught me by the wrist. "Whoa, watch where you go…"

"Sinead! We know you're glad to see Amy and all, but…"

"You need to get your suitcase from the trunk!" I sighed and followed Ned to the back as Ted paid the cab driver. My brothers ran up the steps together and pressed the doorbell. In no time, Dan had opened the door and was slapping Ned on the back, talking to Ted excitedly at the same time. I rolled my eyes as I passed them. _Guys._ "Hi to you too, Dan."

"Oh, hi Sinead. Amy is escorting Ian to his room; she should be here in a sec." And he went back to his conversation. Just then Amy came down the corridor. She had a slightly dazed look on her face but it disappeared when she saw me. "Sinead! How've you been?" she asked as we hugged. "Dan, you take Ned and Ted to their rooms, and I'll show Sinead hers."

As we walked to my room, we caught up on the latest news. I told her about my life and she told me about hers, you know, how two best friends who haven't seen each other in a long time talk. "Is anybody else here yet? Besides the Kabras," I asked.

"No… why, looking forward to seeing someone? Lemme guess, a certain guy who belongs to the Tomas branch and is named Hamilton Holt?" she asked slyly.

I could feel the blush creeping up on my cheeks. It's crazy, but I've had a crush on that Holt since last year. "Ned and Ted, you are so dead! They sent you that video of me sleeptalking?"

"No, they sent it to Dan, but I saw it. When were you going to tell me, Sinead?" she asked, looking a little hurt. I felt bad, but managed to think of a good comeback.

"When you told me about your crush on a certain boy who's named Ian Kabra," I said. Apparently, from the video Dan had sent Ned and Ted, I wasn't the only sleeptalker around. It's freaky how those guys blackmail us. _Brothers._

She seemed to get that dazed look on her face again when I mentioned Ian, though. "Amy, are you alright? You escorted Ian to his room; did something happen there?" I said, quickly putting it together.

"He-he-he kissed me, Sinead." Only now did I notice she hadn't stuttered at all before this. Then I took in what she had said. Oh my flippin' blueprints. I squealed; I couldn't help it.

"He did?! Oh I'm so happy for you Amy!"

"Sinead, is that you? Since when do you squeal? And thanks! It's kinda all mixed up in my mind, but I'm pretty sure I didn't pull away until after a few seconds. Yeah…" she got that dazed, sort of dreamy look on her face again.

"Oh Amy," I said, laughing. "You are so lovesick, you know? You should see the look on your face now! In fact," I activated a miniature camera on my fingernail and snapped a picture, "you will see it. Look!" I quickly uploaded it to my phone and enlarged it. She looked and laughed at herself.

"Well, I'll talk about Ham Holt, and then we'll see your face," she joked. "Here's your room," she said, changing the subject. "Down the hall are Reagan's and my rooms, and the floor above has Natalie, Nellie and Madison. I'm going to see whether the Holts and the Wizards are here yet. Call me if you need anything," she said, pointing to her necklace. "Oh, and could you please make Natalie, Reagan and Madison one of these thingies so they can contact me or Dan in case they need help? I know you can make one in seven minutes flat. You'll find anything you need in there. Lunch is at one o'clock, 'kay?"

I nodded, waved and went inside my room. It was large, clean and nicely painted with enough supplies to satisfy an Ekaterina. The bed was made to perfection, and the bedside table had a glass vase in the shape of a dragon. An empty picture frame hung on the wall some distance away with a note inside it. The note said:

_Sinead, if you want anything drawn for this pic. frame, I've already told Jonah and Phoenix. They'll_

_have some pictures ready, so you can go to them. –Amy. P.S. Phoenix is better than Jonah at drawing_.

I smiled. Burn for Jonah! So the little guy was better; I'd go ask him to draw something for me sometime, I guessed. I set my suitcase down, unpacked and stacked my clothes in a chest-of-drawers against one wall, and got to work on the necklaces.

**Fourth chap. done! Hope you loved it. Please give me some ideas; I'm hovering dangerously close to writer's block. Excuse Amy's very obvious personality changes and OOCness. I'm wondering whose POV I should do next. Please vote in your reviews. Choices are:**

**Jonah**

**Hamilton**

**Dan (again)**

**Natalie**

**Phoenix**

**Nellie (since we haven't seen too much of her yet)**

**Cheers, **

**-Sri (39clues3546)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi, I'm back! Again, two chapters in one day. Again, all dedicated to my reviewers, those awesome people out there who read my story and then take the time to give me comments. On with the story, now. **

**Disclaimer: Me: Natalie, please do the disclaimer. **

**Natalie: *fake snores* Go away, I'm very tired, you peasant. **

**Me: Oh no you aren't. Now do it or else… *light bulb goes off in head* I will make Dan Cahill paint a ninja on your new Prada dress. And he'll do that gladly. *smirks***

**Natalie: Oh my Prada, no! 39clues3546, aka Sri, aka this cunning, scheme-devising peasant, does not and never will own the 39 clues… thankfully. **

Chapter 5—Jonah's POV

"Hello? Uncle Fiske? Yes, this is Phoenix… Jonah's kinda busy, can I help you? What? In Boston? Tomorrow… that's fine. How long? At least a week… okay, I think he can do it. What, I'm invited? But I barely know them! Okay, Uncle Fiske, if you say so. Hi, Amy. Oh, sure. We'll see you tomorrow."

I came into my dressing room after my concert to overhear this conversation my cousin Phoenix was having on the phone. Nowadays, Phoenix had become my traveling companion and kept track of my schedule better than my dad himself used to. But what was Uncle Fiske talking to him about? "'Sup, Phoenix?" I asked.

He turned and said, "Uh, Jonah, we've got a family reunion to go to tomorrow. And I'm coming too. And Amy told us to bring something to draw with."

Okay. _What?_ _Phoenix_ is coming? He doesn't know what us Cahills are like even though he is one! He's not in experienced the Lucian sneakiness, the Ekat smarts, the Tomas physique, the Janus artistry (actually he knows that a little), or the Madrigal peacekeeping abilities (those aren't so bad though)! What on earth is he gonna think of us?

~~~~The next day, 11:10 am~~~~

Phoenix scampered up the steps of Amy and Dan's mansion eagerly and pressed the doorbell. I followed more slowly. I was dreading this reunion a little—I had told Phoenix about the clue hunt before, but I wasn't sure if he really understood.

Amy opened the door. "Hey Jonah!"

"Amy!" I smiled. We were really good friends, not in the boyfriend-girlfriend way, but just as friends. She was really into playing the keyboard, and I had taught her a lot about it, being Janus. We hugged lightly. Then she turned to Phoenix. "And you must be Phoenix. I'm Amy, and that dweeb over there is Dan. He's your age," she said, smiling and gesturing to Dan behind her.

Phoenix and Dan grinned at each other. "We're the same age? Sweet!" Dan said. "Hey, Jonah. How ya doin'?" he tried imitating my 'gangsta' talk.

"Fine, cuz. Where're the rest o' me homies?" I answered, laying it on thick. We all laughed. Then Amy said, "Dan, wait for the Holts while I show Jonah and Phoenix their rooms." We three set off down a corridor.

As we walked, we talked. At first, it was mostly Amy and me exchanging pleasantries and talking about our lives, but then Phoenix and Amy started talking about me. It was weird; they talked as if I wasn't there at all, but I just listened quietly.

"Whaddaya think of Da Wiz, Amy?" Phoenix asked, like he was talking about some guy who wasn't even there.

Amy played along. "Jonah? He's fine. But his singing is much too… rappy, if you know what I mean."

"That's Jonah. Always the guy with the rap. I keep telling him he needs to put more melody, but he insists it would 'ruin his image'," Phoenix said, making air quotes around the last three words.

Amy laughed. "_I_ think it would make it better. Anyway, what I wanted to know is, is it true that you draw better than him?"

"Yup, it's quite true," said Phoenix. I looked at him, but he shrugged. "Jonah's more of the music type in the Janus, while I'm more of an artist. His paintings suck, and so does my music." Amy chuckled. By then we had arrived at my room.

"Jonah, this is your room," Amy said. "That one's yours, Phoenix. All you need to do is unpack. This is the boys' wing, by the way. Dan's going to stop by and give you each a little phone in the shape of a pair of sunglasses, courtesy of the Starling boys. The phones already have their own, mine, and Dan's numbers in them, so you can contact or exchange numbers with anybody, alright? Lunch's at one." Then she left. I looked at Phoenix once more. He just grinned and went into his room with his suitcase.

**And that's all. Fifth chap. done! Whoo! I'm really going somewhere with this story, but at this rate it'll take me at least twelve chapters to finish.**

**I know it's really short, and the characters are kinda OOC, but whatevs. I kinda like Jonamy, but since Amian is already happening, I couldn't make that happen too, so I just made them really good friends. The Holts arrive in the next chap. as you've guessed. Probably some more Hamead. **

**Also, should I make this humorous by having Dan and Phoenix prank Natalie or should I have Natan? Please tell me any ideas you have in your reviews!**

**Cheers forever,**

**~Sri (39clues3546)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: And I'm back the very next day. I just woke up, had my breakfast, checked my email, and saw **_**two reviews **_**and a PM. So I decided to write my next chapter as soon as possible. In this one, the Holts arrive. I'm putting the next one up today too, so don't get bored of just watching people arrive. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 clues. **

Chapter 6—Madison's POV

"Madison! Reagan!" our dad's giant voice boomed through the house. My twin and I ran down from the training center to the main hall. "Yes, dad?"

"That old wimp Fiske Cahill just called. Apparently you two and your bro need to go to a Cahill Reunion at Boston tomorrow. I've already booked your tickets. So go pack!"

"Okay, Dad." We ran back up to our bedrooms. Once we were there, Reagan looked at me and raised an eyebrow, pointing to her phone. I understood immediately and nodded excitedly.

About a month ago, we'd seen our older brother Hamilton working out furiously in the center. (Well, he usually works out furiously, but this time he was trying to go at a speed not even my dad had touched before.) Then we saw he was also muttering something. We activated Reagan's phone to be able to hear the least of sounds (courtesy of Ned and Ted Starling). And we recorded what he was saying.

"Sinead… work out… need to… crush… must work out for Sinead…" We didn't need anymore. We turned it off and ran up to my room, laughing. Luckily, Ham never heard us come or leave. At first we couldn't believe it. Our brother the Tomas has a crush on Sinead the Ekat?

Then I realized we'd recorded the best blackmail material we had against Ham so far. Obviously he doesn't want anyone to know, not even us. We showed it to him last week and ran away before he could catch us. Then, following the Starlings' advice, we saved it on every device available to make it completely undeletable. That was also when we found out Sinead has a crush on Ham. We haven't told Ham _that_, of course.

~~~~~The next day, 11:14 am~~~~~

"Reagan, hurry up!" I yelled, grabbing my suitcase and pushing past Hamilton. "Don't you wanna get to their doorstep before bro here?"

It ended as a full-blown race between us three Holts. Ham won, as usual, but I finished before Reagan for once. Before we could even ring the doorbell, the door opened and I saw Dan inside.

"DAN-O!" we all yelled and were about to tackle him before Reagan and I remembered he wasn't a Tomas and probably wouldn't survive three Holts tackling him. Ham, though, did exactly that and almost squeezed the life out of Dan before we managed to pull him away. Dan stood limp but grinning as always. "Hey, HAM! MAD! REAG! How ya doin'?" He used those stupid nicknames Reagan and I used to use last year, but now… they're so last year! "We go by Madison and Reagan now," I told him.

"'Kay, Madison and Reagan, I'll show you to your rooms. Ham, mind waiting for Amy? She was showing Jonah and Phoenix to their rooms, she'll be here soon."

Ham agreed and we left him to go to the girls' wing. Soon we got there. "Here, Reag, I mean Reagan, this is your room. That's Amy's and that's Sinead's. Amy told me Sinead would be making some necklace thingies for you guys." Seeing our confused expressions, he quickly added, "Those aren't normal necklaces, they're actually special phones. They have their own, Amy's and my number in them"—he pointed to a pair of sunglasses which were currently pushed up above his eyes—"so you can contact us if you need anything. You can also exchange numbers with anyone _in this mansion_. Specialized Cahill phones. Madison, your room is up there, the first one on the right. And I think that's it?" He scratched his head comically and we laughed. "Yep, that's it. I'll leave you to unpack now. Lunch at one!" he called over his shoulder.

Sinead came out of her room then and handed a slim necklace to Reagan, who clasped it around her neck. "Madison, I'm almost done with yours. Give me eleven more minutes and I'll have both yours and Natalie's done, 'kay?" I nodded and went upstairs to check out my room.

**That's all for this chapter. Everyone's here; the next chapter will have some action, probably Truth or Dare! That is my all-time favorite game to play with Cahills. Please review if you have any other ideas! I know this chapter isn't my best one, but at least I got the Holts into the picture. **

**Cheers,**

**~Sri**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: True to my word, I'm putting my next chapter up! In this one, the Cahills are going to have lunch and then play truth or dare. I'm hoping this one will be slightly longer than my previous ones, maybe 1500-2000 words? **

**Shout-out to HikariTheNormaller for giving me three reviews already! Thank you Hikari! **

**This chapter is in reply to eternalreader62's request. And fieryjunior35, sure, I'd love to see that!**

**Disclaimer: I have never owned, do not and will never own the 39 clues. **

Chapter 7—Ned's POV

"LUNCH IN TEN MINUTES!" Hamilton Holt's voice resounded throughout the mansion. Amy must have gotten him to do that for her. I turned to Ted, who had come up to my room, and knew that he was thinking what I was thinking. If we could install the specialized Starling speakers throughout the house, there would be no need for Hamilton to waste his voice like that…

Then it hit both of us at the same time. "Lunch in ten minutes? Oh"

"Gosh, it will probably take us ten minutes to…"

"Wash and get there. Let's go!" we finished together. We left all the mess from our latest project on the table as we washed up and tried to find our way. We ran down the corridor from the boys' wing and walked down the corridor we had come through, only to come to a fork. Ted randomly chose a path, and we jogged down it to come out in a gigantic library. "Wow, this place is…"

"Enormous! But we have to get there…"

"Soon, if we have to be there by one." I checked my watch. 12:56. "Four minutes."

We kept walking. A minute later, we were hopelessly lost. Seeing no other way, I pulled my sunglasses out of my pocket, activated the phone and dialed Dan. "Hello?"

"Dan, these are Ned and…"

"Ted Starling speaking. We just came out…"

"From a huge library. Can you tell us how…"

"To get to the dining hall?" We said together. He started laughing. "Outside that library?"—wheeze—"come straight, turn right. You'll find yourself outside an elevator. Get inside, press 'D'"—pause—"and when the doors slide open, look outside," he finished. We followed his instructions as he said them, and outside the elevator, we saw the entire Cahill family except for Amy, Jonah and Phoenix assembled. I guessed Jonah and Phoenix had gotten lost too. Good thing we had given them their sunglass phones already. They entered shortly through another door, and everyone sat down at the table.

The meal started quietly. Everyone had their own people to talk to: Amy-Sinead, Jonah-Hamilton, Dan-Phoenix, Ted-Reagan, Madison-me, Ian-Natalie. I couldn't see Fiske or Nellie anywhere. Yes, I was talking to Madison, because she was the only person not talking to somebody else. She was actually not too dumb for a Tomas, and a Holt at that. Ted was chatting up her twin, and he seemed to be teasing her if the indignant expression on her face was anything to go by. Then Madison took out her personal phone. "I have something to show you."

We huddled over it and I saw that Ted and Reagan were doing the same thing over Reagan's phone. Madison went to 'Videos', went to a password protected file, and clicked on a video. I took a pair of earphones out of my pocket, plugged them into the phone, handed one to her and put the other one in my ear. She started it.

It was a video of Hamilton working out furiously and talking to himself. Then the twin who was taking it, apparently in hiding, increased the level of sound detection because it became clear what Hamilton was saying. "Sinead… work out… need to… crush… must work out for Sinead…" the video zoomed out again as the person taking it raced up a flight of stairs and then stopped it.

I was laughing by this time. Sure, I knew Ham had a crush on Sinead, even though Ted and I had never told her that. I took my own phone out and loaded Sinead's sleeptalking video. "Watch this."

By the end of it, she was laughing as well. So were Ted and Reagan, over Ted's phone now. It was getting a little hysterical, and people were starting to look at us, so I subtly put my hand over Madison's arm to calm her down. I jerked it away immediately, though. What in all the laws of science had passed between our hands in that one second?

It was like an electrical tingle, but one that I'd never heard of before. She looked up at me, shocked, so I surmised that she had felt it too. I stared into her childish brown eyes, and lost myself in them. She was so young, but so mature… I felt like I could tell her things about myself that not even Ted knew… she was my—

We were unconsciously starting to lean into each other. It would probably have gone on until our lips touched, but before that, our noses touched. That slight contact was enough for both of us to regain our senses. We jolted away from each other like the other had suddenly changed into a monster, only to find that while we had been in our dreamland, the entire table had started observing us, including Reagan and Ted. Now they all cracked up. The only people who looked slightly stunned were Hamilton and Sinead.

I felt my cheeks starting to burn as I caught Ted's eye and we had a wordless exchange. (We'd been practicing this since we had first seen Amy and Dan doing it.) Ted silently asked me, _What was that all about, brother? _

_Nothing! _I replied_. _

_Are you sure? That didn't look like nothing. If your noses hadn't gotten in the way, I daresay you would have gone as far as kissing! _he said_._ I glared at him, then decided on a different tactic. I cut my eyes to Reagan and then to him. _What about that? Can't have you forgetting that, bro!_ I smiled.

He put on an innocent face and pointed to himself mock-disbelievingly. _Me and her? What are you thinking of? I'm sure we didn't do anything like our twin siblings did!_ he raised his eyebrows. I looked away. Time to end this conversation.

After lunch, all of us went into a living room close by. Earlier, Ted and I had decided on a seating chart on Amy's bidding, and now we put it into action. We had paired everyone up, and the couches were all small two-seaters so that the two people who sat on them would be touching their knees or arms or something.

Ted called out, "Couch One: Ned and Madison." I glared at him. It was supposed to be me and him, but he had switched it around after the little incident at lunch. But I went over and took a seat next to Madison. Can't have the seat-planners backing out, after all.

"Couch Two: Dan and Natalie." This earned a stunned, "WHAT?!" from both Dan and Natalie at the same time. They looked at each other murderously, but went to sit, trying to keep as far away from each other as possible.

I took the list from Ted. "Couch Three: Ted and Reagan." It was my turn to smirk as he took a seat next to Reagan. "Couch Four: Hamilton and Sinead." Sinead looked at me while Hamilton looked at Madison. They both knew we had exchanged information, but Ham didn't know what I had shown Madison and Sinead didn't know what Madison had shown me. They went to the couch quietly and sat.

"Couch Five: Amy and Ian." Snickers from Couch Two and sympathetic looks from Four. I didn't know what that was about, we had randomly paired them together. But Amy was turning the reddest I had ever seen her as she sat down next to Ian. "Jonah and Phoenix get the beanbags," Ted said then. A whole chorus of "Lucky!" came then as they both plopped down happily.

Amy raised her voice then. "Listen, everyone, the reason you have been called here is because Fiske has received information that he Cahills are once more in great danger. He has gone to Canada for that purpose, so you won't be seeing him here. Nellie is still here, but she went to visit a friend yesterday and won't be back till noon tomorrow. For now, it's just us. Sinead and Hamilton, I believe you are the oldest here. You'll be in charge after me, should I happen to go somewhere." The said two nodded. "Now, we can just talk to our partners, I guess. If anyone wants to say something about something we should do, please say it now."

Dan perked up immediately. "Truth or Dare! Amy, pretty please with a ninja on top, can we play Truth or Dare?"

"Seconded," said Hamilton, grinning at his friend. "Thirded, if dat's a word," said Jonah.

"I'm in," Ted, Reagan, Madison and I said together. It was somewhat of a sound, all four voices. Dan grinned from ear to ear. "Wow, that was ninja-lord-worthy! Do it again sometime!"

Ian and Natalie looked at each other, then Ian said, "We're in, love." Wait a sec. _Love?_ That was what he called Amy?

Sinead nodded, and so did Phoenix. "Truth or Dare it is, then," Amy said brightly. "Who's going first?"

Everyone looked expectantly at Dan. "What?" he said. "Oh, I'm not going. I still need to think of some good truths and dares."

"I'll go," Natalie said from beside him. "Hamilton, truth or dare."

He pondered for a second. "Dare?" Poor him. Natalie was an expert at embarrassing people.

"I dare you, for the rest of the game, to act all coupley with…" her eyes flickered around the room, "Sinead!"

Madison, Ted, Reagan and I started laughing. What a dare! And Natalie didn't know about the videos? I was starting to doubt it.

Hamilton looked at Sinead, and she nodded. Of course. He put a big arm around her shoulder and pulled her head down onto his lap. Everyone laughed again as she sat up and snuggled closer to him.

"My turn," said Hamilton. "Amy, truth or dare?" Man, this was going to be fun.

"T-d-d-dare," she said after some moments of indecision.

"I dare you to sing 'Love the Way You Lie' by Rihanna to Ian. You can leave the rap out, though."

"DAN! YOU TOLD HIM?!" She glared at her brother, who smiled innocently. "Fine, I'll do it, Ham. It certainly suits you, Ian."

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn, But that's all right because I like the way it hurts,_

_Just gonna stand there and hear me cry, But that's all right because I love the way you lie,_

_I love the way you lie, ohh, I love the way you lie._

She sang well, with feeling too. I guessed correctly that the song expressed her emotions toward Ian exactly.

After she had finished the whole song, Ian regarded her. For once he was letting his emotions show on his face. He looked astonished, and then he pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. Nobody laughed this time; the girls, even Madison and Reagan and Natalie were saying, "Awww! So cute!" Sinead looked genuinely happy for Amy. The boys just sat there with no reaction except for Dan, who was gagging as hard as he could, holding his hands at his throat and pretending to fall to the floor and twitch. Jonah stared for a few moments and then started humming, probably a love song, while strumming a fake guitar.

It seemed as if they would stay that way forever until Phoenix, who was getting a little tired of it, cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem! Can we continue?"

Ian released Amy, who was smiling. The girls all turned to glare at Phoenix for interrupting the moment, so he shrank back until Dan, having gotten up off the floor, grinned at him and gave him a thankful thumbs-up.

"Ned, truth or dare," Amy asked me. I could feel my cheeks going red before she even said anything. This would definitely have something to do with the girl next to me. "Umm… dare."

"I dare you to call your best friend apart from Ted, act like a gushy teenage girl and tell him you have a crush on your distant cousin Madison. And you can't tell him right now that it's a dare, only after you get home again. Put the phone on speaker." I blushed even harder, but I took my phone out and called Joe. He's this guy a lot like Dan, but older and more into dating.

"Hey, Joe! How are you doing? Yeah, I had to leave for this annoying family reunion, and I miss you so much!" I practically squealed. Might as well do this properly if I have to do it at all.

"Uh, Ned. You okay, buddy? You kinda sound like my older sister talking to her best friend."

"I'm fine, Joe. Listen, like I said, I'm at a family reunion, and there's this totally hot cousin of mine, Madison, and I think I have a crush on her! Yeah, so I wanted some advice… you know, what should I do?" Dan was rolling on the floor laughing now.

"I, um, that's, uh, great! Yeah, that's great! Tell you what Ned, come home… and then I'll talk to you, okay? I sorta have to go now, my mom's calling me for, um, a party! Right, a party. See ya." Then he hung up on me.

I looked at everyone else. Dan was joined on the floor by Phoenix and Ham looked pretty close to it too. Sinead and Amy were wiping tears of mirth from their eyes. Jonah was grinning at me and gave me a thumbs-up before bursting into laughter again. Hell, even Ian and Natalie were holding their sides. Reagan was leaning on Ted, exhausted from her laughing fit. My bro? He was smirking lopsidedly at me. The only person in the room who wasn't laughing too much apart from me was Madison herself. She seemed to be thinking about something. She gave me a vacant smile, and that was all.

I let this go on for a few seconds before I stood up and yelled, "My turn! Jonah, truth or dare?"

"Yo, da wiz nevah chooses nuthin' but de dare!"

"I dare you to… I've got it! I dare you to dress up as Natalie! Borrow some of her clothes; put some make-up on, etc."

"WHAT! This little… this git will ruin my clothes!" Natalie shrieked. "How will I wear them again?"

I had already thought around that, though, being an Ekat. "If I remember right, you used to say you never wore the same outfit twice. Give him one of your used outfits."

"FINE! Jonah, come with me," she ordered, and he meekly followed her up the stairs. When he came back down, he was wearing a pink-and-black designer top with a skirt of the same colors. He was wobbling down the stairs in pink high heels, carrying a black purse with pink highlights here and there. Pink eyeshadow, lipstick, a little rose powder, dangling pink-and-black earrings and a long black wig completed the effect.

My phone call was immediately forgotten as everyone took out their phones and snapped photos for blackmail material. "Hey!" Jonah protested, but since he could barely walk in his heels, nobody heeded him. Natalie appeared behind him with her own phone out, ready to appreciate her handiwork. Jonah moved as fast as he could to his beanbag and dropped on it, earning a small yelp from Natalie. "My work! Don't ruin it before we've had a chance to appreciate it, you idiot!"

He glared at her, then at me. "Dan, mah dawg, truth or dare?"

"Dare, of course! Ninjas never do truths."

"I dare you to kiss Natalie. Sorry 'bout this, D-dawg, but I need to take mah revenge on her!"

Dan glowered at Jonah before slowly turning to Natalie and leaning in. Her eyes fluttered closed, and Dan's lips touched hers once, for two seconds, before pulling away leisurely. Amy and Ian watched them, astonished at Dan's deliberateness. Sinead, who had her phone poised to take a picture, almost dropped it. Dan glanced at everyone silently staring at them, but unlike Amy, he didn't so much as flush.

"My turn," he announced calmly. "Reagan, truth or dare?"

"Truth…" she answered, glancing at Ted. I grinned evilly. This was going to be fun.

"Do you have a crush on Ted?" I gave Dan a subtle thumbs-up as I turned to see Reagan's reaction. She bowed her head and mumbled something.

"What was that?" Madison asked sweetly, looking up at last.

"I was saying, you, Dan and Ned are idiots, but the answer is… yeah."

Madison and I started clapping. "Go Teagan!" Madison shouted.

"What?" I asked. "Teagan? Oh, Ted plus Reagan equals Teagan!" she explained. Everybody except Ted and Reagan cracked up. Amy said, "Wow, Madison, so Hamilton and Sinead is Hamead? And Natalie and Dan is Natan?"

"And you and Ian is Amian," Madison said, smiling. "Nice combo names," Jonah commented. "You left out Nedison though." Nedison? Oh, gods. That was Ned and Madison.

"Moving on, it's my turn!" Reagan said, saving us some awkwardness. Madison looked at her gratefully. "Phoenix, truth or dare?"

The little guy pondered for a moment. "Truth," he said finally. It made sense; if he was dared, he would probably have to do something embarrassing, but since nobody except Jonah knew much about his past, truth was much safer.

Reagan seemed to realize the same thing. "Uh… What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?"

"Really, Reagan?" Dan looked at her. Ted intervened, though. "What would you have said, Dan?" Dan was at a loss for words.

"Um… okay. There was this time two years ago, I was in fifth grade, and I had this really huge crush on a girl. Well, her mom happened to be my mother's friend, so when my parents hosted a birthday party for me, _against my will_, she got invited." I could already see where this was going. "I didn't know she was invited, so when my mom made me wear this ridiculous ducky costume for the costume part, I accepted. She showed up looking fine in a long blue, red and yellow dress, but when I came in with my ducky costume on… I'll leave you to imagine the rest," he finished. Dan shot a sympathetic look at him, but still continued laughing with everyone else.

"Ian, truth or dare."

"Dare. I'm not going to answer any truths."

"I dare you to put one of Dan's ninja costumes on." Man, that little dude was catching on fast to what got each of us really embarrassed. Dan chuckled and got up, dragging Ian to his room.

When they came back, Ian had one of Dan's ninja costumes on. But he still looked pretty dignified in it. Natalie laughed as she took blackmail photos. Ian just scowled at her. Good thing he didn't start a suing rant; I never want to hear those again. One of those almost brought my headaches back.

"Guys, maybe we should do something else now?" Amy said. Sinead nodded, but Dan, Phoenix, and Hamilton shook their heads. "Let's just make Jonah and Ian suffer a little bit more, Amy," Phoenix begged. Amy gave in. "Fine, four more turns. That should include everybody; darers please pick people who haven't gone yet. Oh, and nobody except the second-last person left can pick Natalie."

Dan nodded. "Fair enough. It's your turn, Ian."

"Madison, truth or dare?" Oh, great. I wasn't looking forward to being dragged into this again.

"…Dare." "I dare you to… take a glass mug in each hand, balance one on your head, walk up to your room and back without upsetting any."

"But what if I do upset them?" "Then you have to do another truth or dare." "Okay." Madison smiled, which was kind of surprising considering the situation she was in. "Phoenix, go with her," Jonah said. Phoenix jumped up and followed Madison out of the room.

We waited for ten minutes. I was nervous for Madison, so I just sat there. Dan and Jonah started playing Chopsticks—weird how a nationwide pop star knew that kid game. Ted and Reagan started talking to each other. So did Hamilton and Sinead, and Amy and Ian.

Then Madison slowly walked back in, still balancing the three mugs. Phoenix followed her, bewildered. "She didn't drop a thing!"

The whole room started applauding Madison, even Ham and Reagan, as she sat back down next to me. Under some instinct, I put my arm around her and pulled her close. Now there were whistles from Dan and Jonah as well.

"Sinead, truth or dare?" "I'll go with dare."

"I dare you to play soccer with me and Reagan today evening at 5."

"Fine, but you'll have to teach me. And I warn you, I'm not gonna learn quickly."

"No probs. Now it's your turn." "Okay, Ted, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Why did all us Starlings pick dare? It gave other people a chance to torment us.

"I dare you to sing 'What Makes You Beautiful', the One Direction song to Reagan!"

"Ugh, I hate you Sinead and One Direction. Fine, but only with…"

"The actual song playing in the background," I finished, knowing what he was thinking. He nodded, put on the song with lyrics, and started singing, facing Reagan.

_Baby you light up my world like nobody else, _

_The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed, _

_But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,_

_You don't know, oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful, _

_Ohh, oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful._

Reagan sat still, facing him. Once he finished singing, she moved closer and leaned against him. He looked surprised for a second, but then relaxed and put his arm around her. Appreciative clapping from Natalie, Sinead and Amy ensued.

"Natalie, truth or dare," Ted did the last one. "Truth, of course. I for one am not going through any more dares."

"Do you have a crush on Dan?"

Natalie paled, and turned to face Dan. "Y-yes," she whispered.

But Dan being the person he was, merely took her arm quietly and said, "Nat Kabra stuttering? Wow, never thought I'd live to see the day!"

Then Amy stood up and said, "'Kay, guys, time for something else. You can do whatever you want, just try not to burn the mansion." Most people would have said that as a joke, but she spoke seriously. Of course, she knows what we are capable of; we are all Cahills, after all, even little dude Phoenix.

**Seventh chap. done! Whoa… close to 4000 words! Wow, after a few chappies of fewer than 1500 words, that's LONG. :D **

**I've already written a songfic with "Love the Way You Lie", but I couldn't resist. I mean, how often do you find a song that suits Amian so perfectly? And the One Direction song, sorry to anybody out there who hates One Direction. Personally, they're fine, not awesome, but not totally detestable. **

**So how was that? Please review and tell me!**

**I've got to go to bed now. Yup, I stayed up till 11:30 pm KSA time writing this. **

**Cheers,**

**~Sri (39clues3546)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Me: Um, sorry if I kept you waiting, I guess? **

**Readers: AARGH! **

**Me: Oh, come on, people, I wasn't even gone that long! Only 3 days! Anyway, I'm back, so there!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 clues or Phoenix Wizard. Now on to the story! **

Chapter 8—Phoenix's POV

Wow, Jonah was right. These Cahills were certainly a crazy bunch. Whoops, that came out wrong… I mean, the Cahills apart from me (and _maybe_ Jonah) are certainly a crazy bunch.

After truth or dare, we split up into groups. Amy and Ian went off somewhere together, and so did Hamilton and Sinead. Ned, Ted, Madison and Reagan all walked off together to the lawn, I think. That left me, Dan, Jonah and Natalie. We stayed in the living room, on our couches (or beanbags in my and Jonah's case).

After everyone else was gone, Dan motioned us three closer. He looked around cautiously before saying in a stage whisper, "Do you wanna prank the love aliens?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Dan, we all know—"

"Wait, did you just call me Dan?" Dan interrupted, doing a dramatic surprised expression; something like this: :o

Natalie rolled her eyes again. "Yes, _Dan_, I did. We're _temporary_ partners, because as I was saying, we all know we want to prank our siblings. Right?" She glanced at me and Jonah for support. We nodded obediently.

"'Kay, dudes, now that's agreed 'pon, c'we do something already?" Jonah asked, bored. "Yo, P-boy, got any ideas? Okay, I'm not asking that—I know from experience you've got ideas," he added, grinning at me.

Dan leaned forward excitedly. "Yeah, Phoenix, whatcha got?"

I thought for a minute before coming up with one of my most favorite (and effective) pranks. Sure, Amy seemed nice and all, but was that any reason for me to pass this up?

"Okay, I've got it. Listen…" I told them my idea.

When I finished, Dan fist-bumped me. "Whoa, Phoenix, we're gonna make a good team." Natalie nodded, smirking. Probably she was thinking of what Ian would look like when we were done.

~~~~~~About two hours later~~~~~~

"Dan! Got the sponge?" Natalie asked quietly.

"Yup. How about the ingredients, Co—Kabra?"

"Got it. Jonah, song decided on?"

"Word. Phoenix, you ready? I know you' an awesome actor, but this…"

"Don't worry, I've got it," I said confidently. And I had, I'd spent the last hour practicing quietly.

Jonah and Dan gave me thumbs-ups as Natalie led them to their hiding places. I winked before going out to the porch, where Amy and Ian were cuddling (Gross!) into each other. Thankfully, they weren't kissing or anything; I doubt I'd have been able to go through with my lines if I'd seen anything like that.

I cleared my throat. "Ahem! Amy, could you come inside for a sec?"

She looked up, annoyed, obviously expecting Dan. When she saw me, her facial expression softened little. "Phoenix? What's it about?"

"Oh, Sinead sent me to tell you to come. You'll have to ask her," I said glibly. She looked at Ian once, and I think they talked through their eyes or something, because a moment later, she stood up. "Ian, I'll be right back. Come after me if I'm not back in ten minutes, okay?"

We walked in, and she started a conversation with me. For a moment, I almost felt bad about pranking her, but then I thought of the fun, and all my wickedness came back. I led her through an enormous kitchen, then the dining hall we had eaten in, before coming to a long corridor. She looked ahead, confused.

"Phoenix, where is Sinead? Are you sure you aren't lost?"

"Nope, I know for sure I'm not lost. C'mon," I said. Only a few more steps until… CRASH!

I looked down at Amy, who was currently sprawled on a bed of cushions about six feet below me. Dan, Natalie and Jonah emerged from their hiding place in a broom closet some way down the hall. "N-N-Natalie? J-Jonah? DAN!" she yelled the last name, knowing that he was at least partly responsible for her fall.

Dan and Natalie grinned down at her. "Hello, Amy," Natalie said. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Oh yeah, I do. Dan here couldn't stand me being next to your brother when he himself wasn't with _you_, so he separated us," Amy retorted, sitting up angrily, losing her stutter.

Natalie bristled. So did Dan. They moved away from each other and were about to counter her when Amy continued.

"And Jonah and Phoenix! These two I can believe," gesturing at Natalie and Dan, "but you?" Amy practically spat, glaring at us. "Remind me never to trust anyone in this house except—" she softened visibly—"except Ian. Wait till I get out of here!" she finished, flaring up again.

Dan glowered at his sister, apparently not having forgotten her previous comment about him and Natalie. "I do _not_ like Prada Princess here! And nope, that is not the reason we locked you up. Well, partly, but—"

Natalie interrupted him. "The real reason you're here is so we can prank Ian! You've apparently disappeared, and you also most conveniently told him to come looking for you in ten minutes, which means that sometime about now, he'll walk into our first trap." Scarcely were the words out of her mouth when we heard a loud _GLOP _in the distance.

Amy paled. "IAN!"

"Oh, he can't hear you," Jonah said airily, speaking for the first time. "I made sure of that. This corridor is soundproof; wonder you didn't know that."

"I DID!" Amy screeched. "I was the one who ordered this corridor to be built, you IDIOTS!"

Dan smirked at her. "Didn't do you much good though, now did it?" Then he tugged at Natalie's hand. "Phoenix, Natalie, come on! We've got to see what happened to Ian!"

We raced toward the sound. Behind us, we could vaguely hear my cousin yelling, "DUDES! WAIT UP ALREADY!"

Natalie took her cell phone out as she ran and flipped to camera. Once we were there, Dan smiled at her. "Ready?"

**A/N: I know, I haven't updated in days, but I'm back. School starts for me tomorrow, though, so I'm not sure whether my updates will be too frequent. But I'll try to make up for that by writing two chapters at a time if I can, okay? **

**Readers: AWWWW!**

**Me: Glad to know y'all love me! Or my story, whichever one. Anyway, please answer this question in your reviews: **

**What are your top three favorite Amy pairings?**

**Mine are: 1) Amian (DUH!) 2) Jonamy 3) Jamy**

**Jonamy just seems to make sense to me somehow, and Jake's really awesome, so the last two. On the other hand, Natalie and Dan don't go well with anyone except each other, really. (Sorry to any Deagan, Jonatalie, or Natilton fans; this is my opinion.) **

'**Kay, I'll try to update soon. Cheers!**

**~Sri**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Um, hi? Hope you're not too mad at me. It's been 10 whole days since I updated…*looks around fearfully before sighing in relief* Okay, glad to see you aren't assaulting me. Like I said, school started again, and I've been really busy. **

**Conscience: Whoa, hold it. Nobody wants to hear your 'busy' schedule.**

**Me: *sighs again* Okay, okay. Anyway, conscience, while you're here, please do the disclaimer. **

**Conscience: With pleasure. Sri here does not own the 39 clues.**

Chapter 9—Amy's POV

Those idiots. Those freakin', backstabbing, complete _idiots_.

I sat at the bottom of a six-foot-deep pit, on a few cushions. I leaned back against the wall and closed my eyes. I was sick of the whole thing—Dan and Natalie repeatedly pranking Ian and me. When I got out of here, I was going to exterminate them. Ian and I were just about to kiss when Phoenix interrupted us.

The pit was open above me, and I could see Jonah peering down anxiously. "Amy? You still conscious? Listen, it—"

I interrupted him. "No more excuses, Jonah. I don't care if you were one of the nicest people on the clue hunt. I don't care if you just 'went along with this because they pressured you'. I don't care if you were—anything! You've become a backstabber, and I hate you!"

Jonah knelt at the edge, and then dropped down the pit quickly. I stood up so fast my knee joints cracked and my legs wobbled. When I was able to stand properly again, I ran over to Jonah and began pummeling him. He put his hands up defensively and somehow managed to get his arms around me.

"Amy! Amy, I'm not on their side. Why would I join you here if I was? You have to believe me, Amy, please."

I stopped hitting him and glared. "Get. Your. Arms. Away from me. Now."

He didn't. Instead, he pulled me tighter and suddenly, I was crying into his chest. He rocked me gently back and forth. I felt comforted; Jonah _hadn't _had anything to do with it. Of course not. He was here to help me; he would take care of everything. He was like a brother to me.

"Hush, Amy," he whispered. "It's alright." I suddenly realized the position we were in and stumbled backward. He put his arm around me and rubbed my back gently as he wiped the tears from my face with his other hand.

When I was calm again, Jonah took my hand. He talked to me soothingly but firmly, having dropped his gangsta for the moment. "I have to get out of here, but I can't take you. You know what Dan and Natalie would do to me if they found I'd helped you. I'll just make things a little more comfy, though. Drop you down a few more cushions, a pack of chips, chocolate, whatever you want, and a few books."

I perked up at the last part. "But how would I read? There's no light here."

"Not a problem." He took out a small remote and pressed a button. Instantly, a light shone from somewhere near the top. "Good enough?"

"Perfect." I hugged him for emphasis. "Thanks, Jonah."

"Anytime, Amy—will you be okay?"

"'Course." I watched as he picked his way over the cushions to the wall. He tossed me a small phone.

"In case of an emergency," he explained before going up to the wall and setting his foot in a notch that I hadn't noticed before. "Watch me; if you ever need to do this, just copy my movements." He pulled himself up using several tiny ledges, until he was all the way up. He looked at me.

I could see the concern on his face. I rolled my eyes. "Jonah, I'll be fine. Take care of yourself, though, okay?"

He grinned and nodded before disappearing. A big ceiling-like surface rolled into place above the pit, sealing me off. Jonah had also provided tiny airspaces in the surface; I could feel the fresh, cold air coming through them. It was warm down here, so I made a small, comfy space for myself before grabbing a pack of M&M's that came through an opening in the wall. A book appeared in ten seconds; I quickly grabbed it and saw that it was one of the ones I had been waiting for forever to read; "The Son of Neptune", the second book in the 'Heroes of Olympus' series. I popped an M&M in my mouth as I opened the book and settled down to read.

**A/N: Yeah, that's it. I know it's short and all, but I couldn't really help it; it's 9:16 pm and I haven't even done my homework yet. Too busy reading "The Son of Neptune". :D **

**Yep, that was kinda Jonamy, but not really since Amian is already going on. That's why I put in the brother part. I wrote a Jonamy one-shot, 'A Musical Match-Up'. I think it's cute, and I really like it, so yeah. I like Jonamy. This was partly for bigbluesparklez, who wanted me to pair Jonah up with someone. I know you didn't exactly mean this type of thing, Rose, but it was the best I could do in one chapter. Maybe Jonah/OC later, I don't know! It's up to my reviewers and their opinions, hint hint. **

**Please review; I need them to keep my morale up. I wanna know people actually care enough about this story to review it. Thanks to all my great reviewers! Sorry for the long wait, again. I'll try to put the next chapter up soon. **

**~Sri**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: *sniff sniff* Yes, I'm crying. With joy, though. Because I got 16 reviews. **

**I can't tell you all how much this means to me. **

**Inner voice: Yes, you can.**

**Me: Inner voice? Is that you? I can? Okay, tell me how.**

**Inner voice: Come on! I can't believe you're so freakin' dumb. By updating, like **_**DUH! **_**Seriously, Sri!**

**Me: Oh, right! Okay, I'll do that now. Wait, Inner voice, before you go, do the disclaimer!**

**Inner voice: Anything for your dear reviewers. Sri does not own the 39 clues because she is too dumb to. **

**Me: Hey! I heard that! Inner voice! You better apologize, or else… Ugh. Now you're gone. Okay, on with the story. **

Chapter 10—Dan's POV

I could not believe how easily Amy had walked into our trap! Like, really, Amy? Has she learned nothing from the clue hunt? _Trust no one_… she shouldn't have forgotten that.

Natalie, Phoenix and I ran towards the _GLOP_! sound. I smiled as Natalie pulled out her phone, ready to snap a picture of Ian. She was so cunning, and smart, and pret—No! There is no way, as long as this world has ninjas, that I am thinking—_that_ about _Natalie_ _Kabra_.

I pushed the thoughts out of my head and found my own phone. "Ready?"

Natalie and Phoenix nodded. I pushed open the kitchen door. I thought I was completely prepared for what came next; but it turned out that I was wrong.

The door opened to reveal… nothing. Then I saw Ian in a corner, his face, hair and clothes completely spattered with green goo. He was looking down at himself, apparently too shocked to speak.

I started laughing my head off. Natalie joined me, and together we walked menacingly toward the slimy, sticky, smelly teen that was one of London's top richest kids. He looked up at us, and his eyes were full of hate, but I detected something in them for a moment which I couldn't place—anticipation? I wished I were a Lucian to detect things like that. Natalie hadn't noticed it; she was too busy taking pictures of her brother.

When we were three feet away from him, something happened. I'm not sure what it was—I just know that it happened, and that it did so super-quickly. Otherwise, why would I be in a net, dangling six feet off the ground, with Natalie on top of me?

Ian stood up, smirking, and I realized it _had_ been anticipation in his eyes; he had been waiting for us to get caught in our own trap. _Jonah and Phoenix must have set it_, I thought, a little angry. But it passed quickly; they were after all my faithful team members.

I watched helplessly as Ian washed all the slime off himself, seemingly easily. My mistake; I had bought bad goo. Natalie started kicking the net around us, but I realized we were only getting more tangled that way, so I put my arms around her to make her stop. She did, but nothing could stop her shrieking like a crowd of elementary-school kids on Halloween with no candy.

Ian now took his own phone out and snapped some pictures of us, getting every possible angle. "Oh, if this doesn't get on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Orkut, and every other social network that the people in this house—sorry, mansion—have accounts on by tomorrow, I'll change my name to Zayn Malik," he laughed. "Yes, Natalie, like that beloved One Directioner of yours."

Ian then proceeded to set off the way we'd come. I heard a scuffle, and then a light _thump _sound. "All done. Now your little buddy Phoenix is no use to you; he's even higher than you are," Ian called back. I let go of one of my slivers of hope. The only one left was Jonah.

Natalie said, "I have to turn around! This rope is cutting into my legs." I nodded. With a lot of grunting, shoving, and saying mental ninja curses on my part, she finally got herself on top of me, her stomach touching mine. But now we were in an awkward position; she couldn't keep her head up very long because her neck would get stiff, but if she laid her head down on me, her lips would be on mine.

Neither of us said this, but we could both feel each other blushing. Natalie kept her head up as long as possible, but I could sense her discomfort, so finally I put my hands on the back of her head and brought it down to mine. Her body stiffened although her neck was relaxing visibly. Her lips came in contact with mine a second later.

When she drew her head up again, neither of us said a thing for a long, long time. I pulled her down again when I felt her neck muscles tense, but she turned her head this time, so that I was touching her cheek with my lips. We stayed like this for a much, much longer time, maybe half an hour, maybe more. I started to get drowsy, and the last thing I remember thinking was, _I can't believe I'm thinking this, but Natalie is so pretty_.

**Yeah, that's it. I know I took a super-long time to post this, but I was busy, and now to top it all off I just had my first fever of the season. I'm a lot better now, which is why I'm writing. I write a lot nowadays, just getting rid of my feelings and stuff, you know? I have these two stories going that nobody except me (and all of you who read this) knows exists. They're really, really personal. If you're a 7****th**** grade girl living in Ras Tanura, KSA, you know how it feels. I don't mind sharing my personal stories with people who barely know me, who I'm probably never going to meet in the future, though. **

**Oh, and BTW, I want to do a shout-out to Jesse CPK for reviewing my story once per every chapter; that is 9 times. You have beaten the record previously held by HikariTheNormaller! **

**I'm done for now. I'm in the mood to work on one of my other stories. Please, review! You wouldn't believe it, but I actually cried when I saw those 16 reviews. All in two or three days. It's what motivated me to update. **

**Love ya all!**

**~Sri**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi! I'm back! I think a whole bunch of you have given up on this story, because of my non-frequent updates, but whatever. I'm still continuing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 clues or its characters. **

Chapter 11—Sinead's POV

Hamilton and I were sitting some distance from the main mansion. I was on the cutest small green bench, and he sprawled on the ground at my feet. I ran my hands through his soft blond hair as we talked.

Somehow, I didn't feel stupid or guilty spilling all my secrets to him. It just felt natural. I told him about the time Ned and Ted had pranked me by putting an invisible, odorless liquid in my shampoo that turned my hair green for a week. (I was finally able to get it off by analyzing the liquid they put in and reverse-engineering.)

He, in turn, told me about the time Madison and Reagan had secretly mixed coffee powder into his salad. I gagged as I imagined how bad that must have tasted. Probably not as bad as the sugar-coated taco my brothers had tricked me into eating once, but still… pretty bad.

It was a warm, sunny afternoon, not too hot, but just perfect for sitting outside. After a while, Hamilton sat down next to me on the bench, and we snuggled together. He stroked my hair, and I leaned into him contentedly. So far, this was the best reunion yet…

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I heard was a high-pitched scream coming from the mansion. I jerked awake and stood up quickly. Hamilton was asleep, but he opened his blue eyes just then in alarm. Without a word, I grabbed his hand and we took off toward the mansion.

As I ran, I reflected over the scream. It didn't sound like Amy, Dan, Natalie, Ian, Jonah, or Phoenix, so it must have been either one of my brothers or Madison or Reagan. Just then, another scream came from the mansion. But this one was distinctly male; definitely one of my brothers.

(It reminded me of Ted from when, before the clue hunt, I'd set up a bunch of speakers in his room that all went off at different times during the night. Each one of them would play, "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happ—AAAHHHH!" Suddenly, a loud, shrill, _spooky_ scream, like the ones that you hear in horror movies, would interrupt the song. The first time a speaker went off, his room's door was open, so Ned and I heard it. The scream erupted, and then Ted screamed—_so _like a girl. (Not.) I explained to Ned what was going on, so he went to Ted's room and locked the door with a kind of lock that only I knew how to unlock. Ted's room is soundproof, just like mine and Ned's, so with the door closed we could hear nothing. In the morning, when I saw Ted, I _almost _regretted it—_almost. _Not quite.)

We ran up the front porch and almost collided with Madison. Her hair was flying everywhere and her eyes were wild. She didn't even register us, just pushed past us and kept running. Hamilton sent a puzzled and alarmed look towards me. I understood; Madison was the pluckier of his sisters, and if she was running, that meant trouble. I pushed open the big brown door and was greeted with the smell of smoke. Uh-oh.

Reagan stumbled out of the laboratory. She was in a soot-stained purple shirt and knee-length jean cut-offs. Hamilton raced up to her. "Reagan! What's going on here?"

"Um, Madison and I and the Starling brothers were kinda trying to figure out a way to pran—_protect_ ourselves from Dan and Natalie's traps across the mansion," she said. I couldn't help noticing how she corrected herself in the middle, but I decided to let it go. "_And?_" I pressed.

"And, we sorta… blewthelabupwhilemakingapoti on," she said in a rush. I put my hands up.

"A _potion? _What for?" I asked. Hamilton stopped Reagan before she could reply.

"No time for that. Listen, why did Madison run away, and where are Ned and Ted?" he asked, taking complete control of the situation like a born leader. _Which he is…_ my inner voice whispered, but I pushed it away mentally. _No time for that. _

"Ned and Ted are still in the lab. Madison went to get a fire extinguisher. She said she saw one around the corner of the mansion." Oh. So Madison _hadn't _been running away. That cleared a lot up.

Then I took in all of what she had said. "Ned and Ted are _still in the LAB?!" _ Every nerve in my body sent a "Panic!" message to my brain. I sprinted toward the lab door and pulled it open.

An unconscious Ted lay on the floor in the middle of the vast, once-white laboratory. His head was bleeding from a nasty cut. Ned was half-awake next to him, holding his head in both hands. His headaches! The doctors had warned us that they could be set off again by another explosion. I ran to him and grasped his shoulders, pulling him up. "Hamilton, Reagan, get Ted! Gently!" I yelled.

Only when both my brothers were safely in the living room did I notice the condition of the lab. The far side was completely invisible due to the smoke surrounding it. Not a very big fire, probably, but big enough to have gotten to both my brothers if they had been there a little longer. I shuddered. Hamilton came up next to me and grimly took it all in before grabbing a couple of oxygen masks that hung next to the door and handing one to me.

Just then Madison ran into the living room with an enormous fire extinguisher and another smaller one. Hamilton reached for the bigger one and went inside the lab. I watched from the doorway, ready to help him if necessary with the small one.

Sure enough, he beckoned to me after a few seconds. I walked in. Seeing an exhaust switch, I flipped it and shut the door. Immediately, I heard the sound as the exhaust fan started to work. I headed next to Hamilton, who gave me a thumbs-up before pointing to the counter.

A Bunsen burner with an extra-thick wick was completely on fire. It had apparently set off several other containers with flammable gases in them, ultimately causing a very large flame. I pointed my extinguisher on one of the smaller flames on the edge and managed to put it and many other small ones out before turning to the original Bunsen burner. Hamilton was already attacking it with a much larger amount of extinguisher than mine, so between us we managed to put it out within two minutes. I sighed in relief as the last flicker of orange sputtered and went out.

It felt like the climax to a movie, one where the hero and heroine finally destroy all evil and calm, relaxing music plays as they survey the ruins they're in. I stared at the remains of the once-gorgeous laboratory with tears from the smoke in my eyes and soot staining every visible inch of my skin and clothes. Hamilton took my hand quietly and led me out.

In the living room, Ned and Ted were both passed out on long couches with Madison and Reagan on the floor next to them, looking tired. I couldn't blame the twins; even though they were Holts, lifting my brothers onto those couches must have taken a lot of energy, especially after what they'd been through. Hamilton sat down on a two-seater and tugged on my arm, but I shook my head and went over to Ted. The cut on his head was still bleeding nastily, so I fetched the first-aid kit near the door of the lab and dressed the cut as well as I could.

Ned was a different story. I could do nothing for him while he was still asleep; he had to wake up for me to know whether he was having headaches or not. And I wasn't about to wake him up anytime soon. I sat down next to Hamilton and leaned my head on his shoulder tiredly as he put his arm around me.

Suddenly, I heard two sets of running footsteps in the corridor. I sighed and ran over to the door just as Ian ran up from my right and Jonah from my left. "Wha—" I clapped my hands onto their mouths before they could yell the rest and led them outside quickly. Hamilton followed me immediately and helped explain briefly to the boys what had just happened.

"Where's Amy?" I asked, noting that Ian was alone. "And Dan, and Natalie, and Phoenix?"

It was Ian's turn to detail how they'd been trapped in the kitchen. He also pulled out his phone and showed us pictures that he had taken. Hamilton snickered. "Dan wouldn't like that."

Then Jonah told us how they'd imprisoned Amy to get to Ian, but how he had then helped her. Apparently Ian hadn't heard this before, either; I saw his hands clench into fists. "Where is she now?"

"Follow me," Jonah said. He and Ian set off to the left, but I pulled Hamilton back into the living room. I couldn't leave this spot, not yet. Not while my brothers were still like this.

**That's it. This was kinda a grim chapter, wasn't it? Oh, well, whatevs. **

**Forgive me for not updating in so long! I had a bad case of writer's block as well as business. **

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed this story! You make me feel so beloved.**

**~Sri**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hi, everyone. I'm back again! **

**Why so few reviews? I only got two! If you think I don't like your reviews, you are absolutely… right. I LOVE your reviews. XD They motivate me to update. I'm posting this chapter for the two people who **_**did **_**review, JesseCPK and Kitty in Boots. Thanks a lot, you guys! :)**

**I'm pretty sure this chapter is going to be short; just sayin'. :D**

**It's raining outside, I just got back from a good school day, and I'm listening to my favorite playlist, which starts with International Love by Chris Brown ft. Pitbull. Perfect time to write, huh? :P **

**Disclaimer: If I owned the 39 clues, I wouldn't be sitting inside my house typing a story while listening to a story and the sound of rain on the windows and roof. **

Chapter 12—Ian's POV

I followed Jonah through the hallway. Amy… what had those gits done to her? And how, exactly, had Jonah _helped_ her?

He led me to a corridor. I guessed correctly that it was soundproof—being a Lucian usually pays off. I detected a very narrow but long crack in the floor and stopped. Jonah looked impressed and edged around the crack to a closet. He entered and rummaged around a bit before a large section of the floor lowered two inches and then slid into the side of a pit.

I whistled. It must have been a trap for intruders; no way Dan and Natalie had done that. I saw Amy down there, seated on some cushions, reading peacefully. She looked up immediately at my whistle. Her face lit up prettily.

"Ian! You're okay?"

I smirked. "Of course. I know my sister too well, Amy. She's good, but not enough for me."

"Full of yourself, aren't you?" said Jonah. "I'll give you some quality time now. Ian, get in there, and then I can shut you in."

I stared. "You don't really expect me to trust you and just fall down there? Even a Tomas would know better."

"Trusting me is better than trusting a Lucian anytime."

I took a step towards him, my hands clenching. "It's called lying, Jonah. A skill the _Janus _certainly wouldn't know, given their limited skills anyway."

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to hear you play "Moonlight Sonata" for me, just once, on the piano. Chords and all. That's the stuff that gets you famous and well-liked, not _lying_," he sneered.

"Guys!" Amy interrupted, staring at us. "What's with you? Why're you so… snappy? Stop it!"

I realized that Jonah and I were standing in front of each other, hands clenched, almost at the point of fist-fighting. I shuddered at the thought. Pap—Vikram had always told me fist-fighting was FLO, For Losers Only. Even though I wasn't under his command anymore, I still believed that strongly.

I couldn't believe I had actually lost control of my temper that much. It was leaving a negative impression of my Lucian skills. Because of this, I decided to apologize first. "Sorry."

"Same, man. I mean, sorry," he mumbled. "I'll leave you two alone now. Ian, see those tiny holds there? Use them."

"No thanks," I said. I had something else in mind.

"But then how—" he started. I cut him off by walking to the edge of the pit and jumping in. (On second thought, no, I did not _jump_—that sounds so undignified. I—I _leaped_ in.) I landed on the ground with enough grace to impress a Janus. Indeed, Jonah looked impressed for the second time that day. I smirked up at him, and then gestured for him to reseal the pit. He nodded and did so.

The pit remained lit, and only then did I notice the small but strong yellow light. It made Amy's features show up even prettier than before. I walked up to her, pulled her up and kissed her. This time, I couldn't sense any automaton in my body—no, I was in complete control of myself.

She responded immediately, her fingers tangling in my hair. They felt good ruffling my hair. I slipped my arms around her waist and tugged her in even closer.

Finally, she pulled away, her cheeks pink. She showed me her book, "The Son of Neptune", proudly. I revealed to her that I had already read it, smirking all the while. We drifted into comfortable talk. I hadn't felt this good since—since I was a kid, still unaware of Isabel's extreme cruelty, in the lap of luxury, petted by everyone around (except for Natalie and Isabel, of course) because of my good looks.

How long we stayed like that, I do not know. I told her about the fire thing. She panicked, but I assured her it was alright. Still, she told me she felt "guilty" that she hadn't been there to take care of them. I smiled at her.

"Once a Madrigal, always a Madrigal. Right, love?"

**And her nickname returns. Repetitive old Ian. XD **

**People, I have serious writer's block now. Tell me what you want to see happen next in your reviews, okay? Please? ^_^ (That was a new face I discovered yesterday. It's raising eyebrows hopefully. :D)**

**Still raining outside. But now I'm listening to Drive By by Train. "Oh I swear to you, I'll be there for you, this is not a drive by-y-y-y-y…" ;) I love this song. **

'**Kay! More next time! R&R!**

**~Sri**


	13. Author's Note

**A/N: Hi! Sorry to people who thought this was a chapter-it's not. **

**I just wanted to tell you, I'm on winter break, so I won't be able to update for about a week more. :( Sorry! I really wish I could, and I just got this superb idea from a review to continue with, so I promise the next chapter will be extra good to make up for three weeks of not updating. :) Okay? Keep those reviews coming! I need more ideas! :D**

**~Sri**


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hi, I'm back! I'm SOO sorry for the delay, I really am. If I had been my own reviewer, I would've given myself a flame. I totally understand how you guys feel. SO SORRY! **

**Currently I'm busy laughing about a review from AmianNatan4ever: "Sri, I know you're back to fanfiction. I've seen you post comments. So update plz! You said you'd make the next chapters awesome. So update!" Thanks for reviewing, and in reply, you're quite right. AND you've motivated me to update. I have a little more pressing concerns right now, like a science project which I still haven't completed which is due tomorrow, but oh, what the heck. I'll deal with it after I'm done with this. :D **

**I'm dedicating this chapter to AmianNatan4ever for their review! Sorry if it's not as 'awesome' as you expected, but I try. XD **

**Disclaimer: *Rick Riordan and his fellow authors hold me at gunpoint* I don't own the 39 clues, I swear! The ownership is all yours! **

Chapter 13-Reagan's POV

It was all my fault.

I sat next to Ted on the sofa and curled into a ball. He was still unconscious. Because of... because of _me._

Would his eyes be affected so badly that he'd be blind again? A second time because of the Holt family? Because it really was my and Madison's fault. We were the ones who had convinced the Starling twins to prank Sinead and Hamilton using a potion of some sort. And I was the one who had lighted the Bunsen burner ahead of time, like someone who was so sure of what she was doing that she didn't even need to ask. Ned had gone to get more iodine or something for it when I'd done that-struck the fateful match.

On the other couch, Madison leaned against Ned. I could imagine how terrible she was feeling, even though I didn't see why she had to feel half as terrible as I did. She _was_ the one who had knocked down the roll of tissue paper, which caught fire first; but it wasn't as if she'd started the fire before the potion pot was even ready to be put on, causing an open flame. And she had made up for knocking down the roll by getting the fire extinguishers. I hadn't done anything to redeem myself.

I wondered why we were so shaken up by the fire hurting the Starling brothers. It occurred to me that if they had been, say, Dan and Jonah, we wouldn't be beating ourselves up this much. Sure, we'd still feel guilty, but nowhere close to this much. Why did Ned mean so much to Madison? Obvious answer: they liked each other. That thing at the lunch table today... that pretty much carved it into rock. There was no other logical explanation.

Then, why did Ted mean so much to me? If we were like our siblings, (which we are a lot) that would mean I liked him. (The other part, him liking me like Ned liked Madison, was too ridiculous to consider. Even I, Reagan Holt, Tomas, saw that.) I realized this was true as soon as I'd gotten hold of the idea. I wasn't really surprised; it felt like I'd always known it in the back of my mind somewhere. Somewhere I could've found it if I excavated my mind much-but Holts don't really do that sort of thing, thinking and all. We leave that to the Ekats, mostly.

I came out of my reverie and looked at Ted. He was still unconscious, but his forehead seemed to be relaxing. I _thought _that was a good thing; I didn't really know. Tentatively, I put my hand out and brushed some of the loose red hair dangling into his eyes away.

Sinead said something in a low voice to Hamilton, and he followed her out of the room. I eyed them. It wasn't like Sinead to just leave her brothers in the midst of possibly fatal injuries to a couple of Holt girls. I shrugged mentally. _Whatever. More privacy and no Hamilton acting his protective-older-brother part._

Ted's formerly creased forehead now visibly moved under my palm. I leaned closer to him, trying to search for any movement under his eyelids with their gorgeous long lashes. My hand stroked his hair softly. And then...

Ted, who had been unconscious less than a minute ago, sat up quickly. His mouth collided with mine. Surprisingly (not), I didn't pull away. My eyes were wide open, and I suffered an aftershock of surprise go through my body. What... How...

Then he pulled away. "Sorry. My present for making you so worried."

I stared at him blankly. My super-amazing, heart-melting response: "Uh." Followed by a blink, then another.

He smiled. He _actually __**smiled**__. _The _nerve!_ Suddenly I wasn't shocked anymore.

"You-Ted Starling... I thought..."

What? Just because I wasn't shocked didn't mean I could form words. I did the only thing my brain gave commands to my muscles for. I threw my arms around him.

He immediately wrapped his own around me, pulling me tight. All my guilt-well, most of it, anyway-grew wings and flew away. Only three things mattered: one, Ted was alive; two, he wasn't blind; three, he had just kissed me. Oh, and four, we were hugging.

If you don't understand the things implied by three and four, maybe I should make a five: he liked me back.

**That's all for now, folks! (Yeah, I totally stole that from Warner Bros. or whatever Bugs Bunny's company is, but whatever.) :D**

**Review, please! Like I said, it was a review which motivated me to write and post this. Yours could be the next stimulant! And of course, I'll give you a special mention if your review gives me a totally boss idea. (Man, I love using that word in place of boring old 'awesome': 'boss'. It sounds so cool. :D) **

**I'm pretty sure I forgot to say this at the beginning, but ALL of your reviews are important to me. I've read some that say "I'm addicted!" or "This is awesome!" and all that say "Update!" and I'm like, ****_Whoa. My story means so much to them and here I am being a little *insert curse word here* not updating. _****Yeah... just wanted to let you know. :)**

**~Sri**


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: ...'Lo! :D**

**Thanks for all the reviews! Especially AmianNatan4ever... I know this is like, two or three days overdue to when I promised it to you... -_- I typed up this chapter once but I lost it before I could save. :( Plus, I have a terrible cough- Just bear with me through the winter, guys. Sickness season has to pass. :)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the 39 Clues, I would make sure I never got sick... -.- (That is ****_such_**** a terrible disclaimer.) **

Chapter 14- Natalie's POV

I woke up on top of Dan. As in Dan Cahill.

No, in case you're wondering, that is not something I do everyday. Wake up on top of Dan in a net six feet above his kitchen floor. That was the first time it ever happened. Woo-hoo.

Dan was still asleep. I let him be, because when he woke up things might get... awkward.

I sighed and resigned myself to waiting for the unlucky person who let us out of here. (And to seeing the even unluckier Ian when that happened.)

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I sat upright- or tried to. I ended up jerking upwards, and then falling back onto Dan.

My phone! Why hadn't I thought of it before? There were so many people I could've called to let us out of here. I mentally facepalmed before yanking it out of my pocket.

There was a text message from Sophia. She was Janus, and one of my best friends. I read the text message quickly.

_Hi, Natalie,_

_Soph here. Wonderin' where you are, 'cause you weren't answering your phone all morning. Wanna hang out with Liz and Emma today at five thirty? :)_

_-Sophia (Janus)_

Morning in London must've been the time I was on our jet, asleep. I realized I had forgotten to tell Sophia about my trip to Boston. Well, not forgotten- more like I didn't have the time to tell her, being woken up at five a.m. and all. I punched in a reply.

_Hi, Sophia,_

_Sorry, but I'm in Boston. I was woken up at 5 am for this reunion thing that we're having here. Don't know when I'll be back. Tell Liz and Emma hi for me! :)_

_-Natalie (Lucian) _

I finished the message with my branch name. We and all my other Cahill friends had been doing this ever since I and the rest of the Cahills in the mansion had run the Gauntlet, so the other's guardians would know that it was a Cahill talking to their charge.

My phone buzzed as it sent the message, and then beeped. I glanced at the balance.

00.00.

I whacked myself on the forehead with my fist. No balance- meaning no more calls until I could get it charged. My Ekat necklace was in my room, too.

_Whatever_. I resigned myself to waiting.

Half an hour passed. Then an hour. I spent the time imagining people like Harry Styles and Adam Levine, dressing them up in ninja costumes like the ones Dan mostly wore, and outfitting them with the latest handbag models from Gucci. The result was much too hilarious to let go of, so I made a note on my phone to draw them like that later and post it online.

Dan's eyes finally opened. He tried to raise his arm to rub his eyes, but since I was on top of it, he couldn't. That got him completely awake.

"_Natalie? _What are we- Oh. Never mind."

I nodded and made a dramatic exasperated face. Dan laughed.

"Dan, is there any balance left on your phone?" I asked hopefully.

"Nope," he answered without even looking at his phone. "There hasn't been for about a month now. My sunglasses are back in my room, too."

I sighed. "What do you use your phone for if there's no balance on it, anyway?"

"Um... I take pictures with it. I Photoshop them with this app I installed," he grinned. "I was planning to Photoshop any picture of Ian covered in goo that I got to make it ten times better- or ten times worse, I suppose, for him."

I started to smile, but changed my mind and frowned. "Peasants do not simply _Photoshop _pictures of the Kabras," I said dignifiedly. Or at least, as dignified as I could get while lying on top of Dan in a very cramped net. Which was still pretty dignified.

Dan scoffed. "Come on. You know you would've loved it."

"Maybe," I admitted, "but maybe not."

I showed him the note I had made on my phone. He narrowed his eyes interestedly before pulling out his own phone, going to a picture folder that I supposed had come already inside the cell, and whipping up a picture of Niall. I smirked evilly. Not my first choice among the Directioners, but absolutely okay to dress up and make fun of.

We went to work. I dressed Niall up in a black ninja costume and slung a sloppily drawn light purple handbag over his shoulder. Dan drew a moustache on Niall, the kind that so obviously seems fake that actors used to paste on in old movies, and added a bowler hat. Throughout all this, Niall stood smiling that same old smile. It kinda got on my nerves.

We spent a few minutes giggling (or in Dan's case, snickering) over the result. I lost no time circulating it to every single one of my friends. Dan saved multiple copies of it on his phone so it wouldn't get completely deleted. We took a breather after that, trying to think of something else fun to do.

**Hope you liked it. :) *turns away to cough* 'Scuse me. -.- As I was saying, I hope this chapter was good enough! I know it's really short, but it was not meant to be any advancement in the plot- I posted this just as a filler. -_- Sorry. Will write more when I get the time! :D**

**Oh, and sorry to any Directioners out there who're offended by this. :/ I just don't like that band too much, and since this one friend of mine who is obsessed with them keeps insisting that I like them but I'm denying it, I feel like making fun of them everywhere. XD And also, who noticed the Kane Chronicles reference?! Nowadays it seems like I can't write FanFiction without putting a reference in to this book or that. :D**

**Review! Whether you liked it or not. :P**

**~Sri**


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: Wowie. Chapter 15. At 96 reviews. This story has come far :D **

**Okay, so, my DEAR reviewers. I know it doesn't seem like I love you guys, based upon the rate I update at- but I DO. Specially since you brought me to the stage where there's just four left till 100 :D I'm sorry. My internet just completely blocked FFN, so I was off during March, April, May and June. Now I'm on vacation, but all I have to type on is an iPad, and it's hard. **

**(Allison, I know I said I'd update two days ago, but like we've been bored here for weeks and suddenly that day my mom says we're going on an overnight trip to visit some relatives -.- We got back yesterday, but I lost my typing. -_- Sorry. But here's your long-awaited chapter :))**

**Okay, disclaimer, and then on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues. **

Chapter 15 - Jonah's POV

That Ian. Ugh. It was like I couldn't help picking a fight with him. It's good Amy was nearby, I guess... ever the Madrigal. She'd stopped our argument just in time.

I walked back to where the Holts and Starlings were having their quality time. It looked like Ted and Reagan, Ned and Madison, and obviously Sinead and Hamilton. I moved on quickly, having had enough of the romance in the air.

I went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Heading to a cupboard, I was about to open a pack of Skittles when I heard Natalie and Dan calling out to me. I looked up and saw them suspended in a net six feet in the air, heaped on top of each other.

Surprisingly, it didn't seem like they were trying to kill each other. Natalie didn't even have her dart gun out, although it seemed like she could reach it, and Dan wasn't unconscious. "Jonah! Get us out. Now."

"How'd ya get in there in the first place, cuz?" I tried to stall, not being sure who'd try to kill me if I got them out before their punishment time was up.

"Ian," Natalie sighed. "Something went wrong in our plan, and we ended up like this."

"Oh. Sorry, but no can do, Nat. I just took Ian to Amy, and we were almost at fists. I can't risk the Lucians turning on the Janus or something if I get you out."

"I'll get the Lucians to turn on you!" Natalie screeched. "Now get us out of here!"

"You can't. Everyone knows Ian's first in line for branch leader." I smirked, waiting for the dart to dodge.

It came soon enough. I grabbed a couple more packs of Skittles and ran into the next room. I heard Dan's voice trying to calm Natalie down as I fled.

Outside the kitchen, I paused and collapsed on an armchair. Then I noticed another net, this time with my cuz Phoenix in it. At first glance it looked like he was unconscious. I decided Amy and Ian were probably not as mad at Phoenix as they were at their siblings, so they wouldn't mind much if I let him down.

I climbed up carefully onto a chair and fiddled with the tangle of ropes. After loosening the knot, I pushed a massive, cushioned armchair under the net and let Phoenix drop. He woke up when he hit the armchair.

"Argh!"

"Phoenix? You okay, buddy?"

"Jonah?" he said, rubbing his eyes. "What-"

"I cut you loose," I explained. "I also took Ian to Amy. I don't think they'll be as mad at you as they will at their siblings- hopefully."

"Oh." He looked down at himself, tangled up in the net. "Um... help me out of this?"

"Sure." When he was free, I tossed him a pack of Skittles. "TV?"

"TV," he agreed. "Wait, where are Dan and Natalie?"

"Up in a net in the kitchen. I didn't let them out 'cause I figured Ian would be mad. Avoid the kitchen if you don't want a dart in your neck."

He chuckled. "Okay."

We headed to the living room, passing the lab on the way. I explained the whole Starling-Holt-fire thing briefly, and he nodded.

We crashed on the couches in the living room, watching TV and downing our Skittles. It was peaceful... but not for long, obviously.

"I'M HOME!" Nellie's voice resounded through the mansion.

"NELLIE!" Dan and Natalie yelled simultaneously.

"Dan?! Natalie?!"

"GET US OUT OF HERE!" Natalie screeched.

I heard Nellie's footsteps as she made her way to the kitchen to see what was going on, and jumped off the sofa. "Oh, shoot. I'd better stop her," I told Phoenix quickly.

I stopped her just outside the kitchen. "NO! Nellie, look..." I told her the whole story since the Truth or Dare, just leaving out Ian's and my fight.

She looked at me thoughtfully, then sighed and shook her head. "Sorry, kiddo, I've got to let them out. My main job is to keep peace among you all, being a Madrigal and stuff, and leaving two of my charges up in a net doesn't exactly fill the description. You better find a place to hide." She winked at me.

I groaned. "Fine. Tell me when Natalie's calmed down enough for me to come out of hiding."

"Will do." She went into the kitchen, and I took off. At the living room, I stuffed my pockets with five packets of Skittles, not being sure when I'd have a chance to eat other food, bid goodbye to Phoenix, and left the mansion.

I was thinking the summerhouse, maybe, or somewhere in the woods- Dan probably knew every inch of the mansion. I jumped off the porch and turned to look at the mansion one last time- and noticed a hairline crack running down one side of the porch.

I stepped closer and pushed against it curiously. It gave way, and I saw a hole inside, big enough for me to crawl in. It was the perfect hiding spot. I could hear what people were saying, so I'd know when they were looking for me, and when it was safe to come out and get food or go to the bathroom. I crawled in. The hole wasn't too large, but comfortable enough, just big enough for me to curl up comfortably and stretch my legs if I needed to. The wood wasn't moldy or anything, because the mansion was pretty new.

I snuck back into the mansion and heard Natalie stomping about somewhere, probably looking for me. I ran up to my room, got my iPod and earphones, came back to the drawing room where we'd played Truth or Dare, grabbed a few cushions, and went back to my hidey-hole. I made myself comfortable and settled down to listen to music.

**Yup, that's it. I typed this chapter up twice and lost it both times. -.- I'm finally posting it now :D **

**Revieeeww, I worked kinda hard on this, because of the whole losing-chapters thing and typing on an iPad. But anything to please you guys :)**

**~Sri**


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